powershares

In Hollywood, for every “Godfather II” or “Avengers: Infinity War,” there are a slew of sequels that fail to live up to the promise of the first movie or franchise installment. The world of exchange traded funds has its fair share of dud sequels, but some notable ones as...

Ex-U.S. developed markets equities and related exchange traded funds are delivering tepid year-to-date performance: for example, the widely followed MSCI EAFE Index is up just 0.5 percent this year. Lethargic performances are not deterring investors. Through nearly five months, some of this year...

The dollar is gaining strength and recently touched a multimonth high against a basket of rival developed market currencies. Conventional wisdom dictates that large-cap companies, many of which generate substantial portions of their revenue overseas, are vulnerable to a stronger dollar. Conversely...

Various signs indicate the technology sector's late first-quarter swoon was brief and has concluded. Tactical traders and investors should take note: while broader technology exchange traded funds are bouncing back, some more focused plays are surging. On Wednesday, nearly 25 ETFs hit all-time...

At least two important factors should be noted with exchange traded funds dedicated to value funds. First, the value factor has been trailing growth for a significant portion of the current bull market. Second, many traditional value ETFs are dominated by a small amount of sectors. Sector-...

The dollar is getting stronger. The PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (NYSE: UUP) is up 2.37 percent over the past week and is sporting a second-quarter gain of nearly 5 percent. It may take a lengthier rally by the greenback to reinvigorate investors' interest in currency-hedged...

With a seasonally weak period for equities here and increased chatter about rising equity market volatility, some investors may want to consider low volatility strategies. Exchange traded funds can make that endeavor even easier. The PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio (NYSE: SPLV) is...

For much of this year, the U.S. dollar has been lethargic, but that scenario is showing signs of reversing. Over the past week, the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (NYSE: UUP) is up more than 2.3 percent. It probably is not a coincidence that as the dollar has strengthened, small-cap...

The United States Oil Fund (NYSE: USO) hit a 52-week high last Friday and is higher by 9.7 percent over the past month. Energy stocks and related exchange traded funds are following suit, as highlighted by a gain of almost 8 percent for the Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLE) since the start of...

A new exchange traded fund aimed at providing diverse asset allocation while limiting volatility debuted Tuesday. The VanEck Vectors Real Asset Allocation ETF (NYSE: RAXX) provides exposure to real assets using the ETF-of-ETFs model. RAXX “seeks to maximize real returns while seeking to...

In the world of smart beta exchange traded funds, low volatility and dividends are two of the most popular concepts. Some funds marry dividend and low volatility themes, whether by intent or indirectly. The leader of the low vol/dividend ETF pack is the PowerShares S&P 500 High Dividend Low...

As sovereign debt yields in developed markets plummeted and, in some cases, turned negative, income investors turned to emerging market debt for higher yields. Plenty of emerging markets bond exchange traded funds are listed in the U.S., but the iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (...

Momentum and value are two of the most popular investment factors. Scores of exchange traded funds offer access to momentum and value stocks, with many of these funds isolating the factors, though there are multifactor ETFs that feature both momentum and value stocks. The PowerShares S&P 500...

The PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (NYSE: DBC) has retreated a bit in recent days as the downtrodden dollar has caught on the flight from riskier assets. Still, it is not a stretch to say commodities could see more tailwinds than headwinds in 2018. Predictably, the weak dollar is...

Following the passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, financial markets priced in benefits to an array of sectors, including energy, financial services, health care and technology. Predictably, consumer sectors are also believed to be beneficiaries of the Trump administration's tax reform effort....